Friday, November 19, 2010

Minivan, Walmart, Processed Foods...

We've been living in the suburbs for nearly 2 months now and I think I really dove in to the lifestyle! I forgot to mention in my last post that we bought a minivan and on my first day driving it, I took the boys to Walmart to buy a bunch of processed foods! So, after a few weeks of hauling the kids around in the Dodge Caravan, in and out of the car seats, eating Kraft Dinner and hot dogs on a more regular basis, hearing Jeff leave for work before the kids are even out of bed because his commute is much, much slower, and trying to remember the last time I pulled out the stroller to actually walk anywhere... One might ask, "How do you like living in White Rock?". Funny enough, though, I like it. Maybe it's the house renovations that keep me excited and certainly busy enough.

I don't really have any photos to post today since I haven't pulled the camera out much, but lots has been going on that I will review in point form, for the sake of recording family life:

- All the demo work, including the roof, is done and all new interior framing in the house is pretty much complete. We're pretty happy with our framer, Bartek.

- We finally got Building Permit application in, without the front entry addition.

- Bartek actually asked me if I wanted to do some architecture work for another project he is doing - the renovation of some Law Offices. I met with the clients and put together a quote, not really knowing if I even wanted to the job or not, but it turns out that they may need a registered architect to do it anyway. Too bad, but not really.

- Our Board of Variance meeting was on Wednesday and we got approved to do the Front Entry addition, so now we need to finish up the drawings to ammend our permit application.

- My Dad is currently working on our kitchen drawings so that he can get the cabinets built before he goes in for hip-replacement surgery on Dec.17th.

- Our windows have been delivered and I really hate them, but that's what we get for what we paid for them, I guess. I was quite annoyed that Jeff didn't order any screens for them either, but these dumb windows need a dumb little opening, etc... Nevermind, I'm being dumb.

- Callum is in "Sportball" on Mondays that he loves, Preschool Tuesdays and Thursday that he likes and next week he starts Skating Lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays. I'm registering him in a lot since it seems that he watches more TV and plays on the computer since we moved here, I guess because we spend more time in the basement suite we're renting and there isn't much else for him to do since his toys are all Max's now. I have to say that lately Callum is pure joy to have around, generally, as he complains very little, doesn't fight back when Max attacks him, does what I ask him without telling him a million times, and even compliments me on the food I make for dinner!

- Max is a handful! He loves to wrestle with anyone who will let him and thinks the funniest thing in the world is when his Mom is angry with him (which makes him Mom even more angry, of course). He is horrified everytime I drop Callum off anywhere - both because he doesn't want to be separated from Callum but more so because he is very social and wants to stay with the other kids too. He is a dancing machine and laughs a lot, though I often think he'll be some kind of musician since he is constantly making noise, often humming or singing. He hasn't started talking at all yet and doesn't seem particularly interested in trying since he manages to get what he wants through grunting and screaming.

- Jeff and I are, of course, preoccupied with the Blackburn house renovation but we hardly see eachother at home. I mentioned already that he leaves so much earlier that we really only see him briefly in the evenings before the kids go to bed and we usually fall asleep while reading CAllum his bedtime stories. We're going to have to get better at planning "quality time" together, just the 2 of us and with the boys.

- Oh, and we are currently frustrated with our cell phones! I guess we will be getting a land line when we move into the house as the reception here is maddeningly retarded!!!! (And I've decided I want an iPhone, but our contract with Rogers is a heavy burden we bear).

- We visited our project/Kim+Sven's place on the coast on Remembrance Day last weekend and it looks SOOOO awesome. Exciting.

That's all I can think of for now. As an end note, I include the photo below from a wedding Jeff and I went to in August. They had one of those funny photo booths with costume apparel: